Connection to Christ
A man of the people
Amos 1:1, “The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.”
Amos 7:14, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.”
Mark 6:3, “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?”
Excuses for unbelief
Amos 7:12, ‘Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.”’
Matthew 13:57, ‘they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”’
The surprising good news of God’s kingdom
Amos 1:3, ‘This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent…”’
Matthew 4:17, ‘From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”’
Concern for the poor and needy
Amos 2:6-7, “They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.”
Mark 6:34, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”
The day of judgment
Amos 8:9, ‘“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.’
Luke 23:44-45, “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”
The Messiah and the inclusion of the nations
Acts 15:12-18, ‘The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: “After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things”’ (Amos 9:11-12)
Truths to Remember
Everything, including trouble, comes from God
Amos 3:6, “When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?”
The Lord reveals what needs to be known
Amos 3:7, “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.”
Judge not lest you be judged
Amos 2:1, 4, 6, ‘This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not relent”… This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent.” ‘This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent.”’
The Lord’s chastisement is meant to compel us to repent
Amos 4:6, 8, ‘“I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord… “People staggered from town to town for water
but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.’
Many people who think they want judgment to fall shouldn’t want it
Amos 5:18, “Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light.”
Worship without obedience is meaningless
Amos 5:23-24, “Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
False teachers call truth “false”
Amos 7:10, ‘Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.”’
No longer hearing from God is a curse unto death
Amos 8:11-12, ‘“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.”’
Undeserved grace is our only hope
Amos 9:13-14, ‘“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.”’
Connection to rest of Scripture
Heavily dependent on the law of Moses
A message to the northern tribes from a southern prophet on false worship
Themes Overview
Rebellious worship Genre: Later prophets - minor
The danger of riches Author: Amos
The coming judgment Date: about 750 BC
Undeserved hope
Outline
1:1-2:3 Judgment upon the nations
2:4-6:14 Judgment upon Judah AND Israel
7:1-9:15 The visions of Amos